Generic streaming media device configured as set top box

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are described for setting up, in one embodiment, a generic streaming media device as a set-top box for a multichannel content provider that provides a content delivery service. The set up process can be performed automatically and as background operations while a user manually sets up the device, in foreground operations, for use with an online streaming media store or source of content. The set up process can use a device token that was previously associated with the multichannel content provider for use with the device during the set up process. The device token can be stored by the developer of the device and sent by the developer to the multichannel content provider during a set up process of the device; the device token can be opaque to the developer but provides information used by the multichannel content provider to set up the device as a set top box.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser.No. 16/359,056 filed Mar. 20, 2019, which claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/679,900, filed Jun. 3,2018, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to content providers such as cable TV providersand also relates to generic streaming media devices such as the Apple TVfrom Apple Inc. of Cupertino Calif. or the Roku streaming players fromRoku, Inc. of Los Gatos Calif.

Content providers such as cable TV providers use dedicated hardware forset-top boxes and these set-top boxes use a cable card to authenticatethe set top box to the cable TV provider. The cable card is dedicated tooperate with the cable TV provider and includes cryptographicinformation which is used in the authentication process to ensure thatthe cable TV provider is providing content delivery through the set topbox in a secure manner that can be controlled by the cable TV provider.Cable TV providers are one example of the type of content providers thatcan be referred to as multiple channel video programming distributors.

Generic streaming media devices such as the Apple TV or the Roku playersfrom Roku, Inc. of Los Gatos Calif. can be used to stream content fromsources such as iTunes, etc., but these generic streaming media devicesdo not include dedicated hardware for authenticating the device tocontent providers such as cable TV providers or other types of providersthat can be considered to be multiple channel video programmingdistributors.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

The embodiments described herein provide methods and systems for using ageneric streaming media device, such as the Apple TV device or othergeneric streaming media devices, as a set-top box. This set-top box,once configured, can be used to deliver content from a multichannelcontent provider such as cable TV providers and other examples ofmultiple channel video programming distributors. The streaming mediadevice can be considered generic because it is not dedicated by hardwarefor use with a particular multichannel content provider. In oneembodiment, a set up process for a generic streaming media device can beperformed automatically and as background operations while a usermanually sets up the device, in foreground operations, for use with anonline streaming media store or source of content such as iTunes orAmazon or NetFlix, etc. Thus, while the user is manually in foregroundoperations setting up the generic streaming media device for use with anonline streaming media store or source of content, in the background,the device can be set up automatically for use (without requiring inputof user credentials) with a multichannel content provider to allow thedevice to act as a set-top box for the multichannel content provider. Inone embodiment, the set up process can use a device token that waspreviously associated with the multichannel content provider (e.g.generated by or for the multichannel content provider) for use with theparticular device as identified by a device identifier prior to the setup process. The device token can be stored by the developer of thedevice and sent by the developer to the multichannel content providerduring a set up process of the device when the device contacts anactivation server used by a developer of the device. The device tokencan be opaque to the developer but can provide information that is usedby the multichannel content provider to set up the device as a set-topbox for the multichannel content provider.

In one embodiment, a method can include the following operations:establishing, by a device, communication with one or more activationservers to set up the device, the device including a generic streamingmedia device which is capable of setting up an account with an onlinestreaming media source; providing, by the device to the one or moreactivation servers, a device identifier that identifies the device to amultichannel content provider, the device identifier having beenassociated with the multichannel content provider through a prior actionby the multichannel content provider or by a developer of the device orby a developer of the operating system of the device; receiving, at thedevice, a device token containing data associated with the multichannelcontent provider (MCCP) for the device (e.g. the data was created by orfor the MCCP) and wherein the device token is associated with the deviceidentifier through the prior action; establishing, by the device,communication with one or more servers used by the multichannel contentprovider and sending, by the device to the one or more servers used bythe multichannel content provider, the device token and an identifier ofthe multichannel content provider; exchanging, by the device, one ormore messages with the one or more servers used by the multichannelcontent provider to authenticate the device for a content deliveryservice through the multichannel content provider, wherein the contentdelivery service uses a conditional access system, in one embodiment,for at least some of the content delivered through the multichannelcontent provider. In one embodiment, the device token and an endpointidentifier is received from the one or more activation servers oranother server which was requested by the one or more activation serversto send the device token and the endpoint identifier to the device; inone embodiment, the endpoint identifier identifies at least one of theone or more servers used by the multichannel content provider. In oneembodiment, the device does not include dedicated hardware logic that isconfigured to and dedicated to authenticating the device to a particularmultichannel content provider. In one embodiment, the device does notneed to be coupled via a particular network address in order toautomatically authenticate the device with no inputs from the user; inother words, the authentication can occur through any network connectioncapable of allowing communication with the servers of the developer andthe servers of the content provider. In one embodiment, the deviceidentifier can be based on an immutable identifier stored in the devicein secure memory within the device. In one embodiment, the deviceestablishes communication with the one or more activation servers inresponse to a first time user boot up of the device, and the deviceestablishes an Internet connection, through an Internet serviceprovider, prior to establishing communication with the one or moreactivation servers. In one embodiment, the Internet connection can bethrough a wireless portion through a local wireless network, such as aWi-Fi network in the vicinity of the device. In one embodiment, thedevice token can be opaque to the developer of the device or thedeveloper of the operating system of the device.

In one embodiment, the device can establish communication with the oneor more servers used by the multichannel content provider and canexchange one or more messages with the one or more servers used by themultichannel content provider in automatic background operations duringa set up process in which the device can be set up manually by a userfor the account with the online streaming media source which can beperformed in foreground operations while the automatic backgroundoperations (e.g., a silent authentication process in which zero inputsare required from the user) are occurring to authenticate the device tothe multichannel content provider. In one embodiment, no user credentialinputs are required from the user during the background operations toset up the content delivery service through the multichannel contentprovider. In one embodiment, the device can also automatically downloadan application dedicated for use with the multichannel content providerfor searching, browsing, and selecting and viewing content provided bythe multichannel content provider. In one embodiment, the multichannelcontent provider cannot control the device like a dedicated set-top boxprovided by the multichannel content provider.

The methods and systems described herein can be implemented by dataprocessing systems, such as one or more smart phones, tablet computers,desktop computers, laptop computers, smart watches, wearable devices,audio accessories, onboard computers, and other data processing systemsand other consumer electronic devices. The methods and systems describedherein can also be implemented by one or more data processing systemswhich execute executable computer program instructions, stored in one ormore non-transitory machine readable media or medium that cause the oneor more data processing systems to perform the one or more methodsdescribed herein when the program instructions are executed. Thus, theembodiments described herein can include methods, data processingsystems, and non-transitory machine readable media such as DRAM memoryand flash memory.

The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all embodimentsin this disclosure. All systems and methods can be practiced from allsuitable combinations of the various aspects and embodiments summarizedabove, and also those disclosed in the Detailed Description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not limitation,in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which references withlike numbers indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a system which can include severalmultichannel content providers (mccp) and several devices, each of thosedevices being capable of being configured as a set-top box for one ormore of the multichannel content providers.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart which illustrates a method according to oneembodiment described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a flow over time of data between various components in asystem, such as the system shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, and FIG. 4C are flowcharts which illustrate a methodaccording to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a system which includes at least one contentprovider which can be a multichannel content provider coupled throughone or more networks, such as the Internet to at least one device whichcan be configured to be set up as a set-top box for one or more contentproviders such as one or more multichannel content providers.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart which illustrates a method which can be performedby a generic streaming media device that has also been set up as aset-top box for one or more multichannel content providers.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a data processing system which can be used toimplement one or more embodiments described herein and which can be usedas an implementation of a generic streaming media device and which canalso be used as an implementation of the one or more servers describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments and aspects will be described with reference todetails discussed below, and the accompanying drawings will illustratethe various embodiments. The following description and drawings areillustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specificdetails are described to provide a thorough understanding of variousembodiments. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventionaldetails are not described in order to provide a concise discussion ofembodiments.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the sameembodiment. The processes depicted in the figures that follow areperformed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g. circuitry,dedicated logic, etc.), software, or a combination of both. Although theprocesses are described below in terms of some sequential operations, itshould be appreciated that some of the operations described may beperformed in a different order. Moreover, some operations may beperformed in parallel rather than sequentially.

The embodiments described herein can be used to configure a genericstreaming media device, such as an Apple TV device or a Roku player, asa set-top box for a particular multichannel content provider out of aset of possible multi-channel content providers that have registered. Amethod in one embodiment can be performed at first user boot up time ofthe device when the device is in a set up mode and when the user isconfiguring the device by manually entering through a keyboard (virtualon-screen or real), or other input mechanism, user credentials and otherinformation to configure the device. At the same time while the user isentering data through an input device, operations in the background canbe performed to configure the device to act as a set-top box for aparticular multichannel content provider. In one embodiment, a devicetoken which was previously associated with a device identifier of thedevice can be downloaded to the device from one or more activationservers or other servers acting on behalf of the one or more activationservers. The device token can contain data that is opaque to thedeveloper of the device or the developer of the operating system of thedevice and was generated for the device by the particular multichannelcontent provider to use the device as a set-top box for a contentdelivery service through the particular multichannel content provider.In one embodiment, the activating and authenticating of the device withthe multichannel content provider can use the device token and can beperformed without requiring the user to enter user credentials such asusername, password, etc.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a system which has multiple components andmultiple entities that can interact to provide content delivery to aplurality of devices, such as a plurality of generic streaming mediadevices. FIG. 1 shows two devices 27 and 29 which can be genericstreaming media devices such as Apple TV devices or Roku players orother such devices. These generic streaming media devices can beconsidered generic because they do not include hardware, such asdedicated authentication hardware, that is dedicated to operate with asingle, particular multichannel content provider. It will be appreciatedthat there can be millions of such devices distributed around the worldand coupled through the Internet to a plurality of multichannel contentproviders as well as to the developer 25 which can be the developer ofthe devices such as devices 27 and 29 or the developer of the operatingsystem used on the devices 27 or 29. These devices can be coupled to oneor more networks 24 which can be the Internet in one embodiment. Bothdevices can be coupled to a display device such as a TV 37 or one devicecould be coupled to a TV while another device uses a built-in displaysuch as a touchscreen on the device. The devices shown in FIG. 1 can bedeveloped by a developer (e.g., Apple or Roku) of the device such as thedeveloper 25 shown in FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the developer 25 ofthe device or the operating system of the device is an entity which isdifferent than the multichannel content providers, such as multichannelcontent providers 20 and 22. The multichannel content providers 20 and22 are coupled to the Internet 24, and each is coupled to receive aplurality of content channels, such as content channels 10, 12, 14, and16. These content channels can be, for example, ESPN, NBC, CBS, FOX,ABC, TNT, etc. The multichannel content providers can be any one of theentities known as Comcast, Charter Communications, Dish Networks, CoxCommunications, and other known multichannel content providers ormultiple channel video programming distributors. In one embodiment, eachgeneric streaming media device, such as device 27 and device 29 can beconfigured to act as a set-top box for more than one multichannelcontent provider. In one embodiment, the multichannel content providerscan be considered to be aggregators of content and distributors of theaggregated content to subscribers of their content delivery service.

The developer 25 can use one or more device activation systems 31 andone or more MCCP registration systems 33 to provide for the automaticsilent authentication of generic streaming media devices (such as thedevices 27 and 29) to configure the devices to be set-top boxes for oneor more multichannel content providers in one embodiment. The deviceactivation systems 31 can be configured to receive and sendcommunications with devices 27 and 29 when they are being firstactivated which can occur during a first user boot up of the device inone embodiment. The device activation systems 31 can enable the devices27 and 29 to begin a set up process which can ultimately lead to entryof user account information for the online streaming media source 35which can be in one embodiment the iTunes Store or Google Play Store oran Amazon store or other similar sources for online streaming media. Inone embodiment, the online streaming media source 35 can include mediasuch as songs, movies, TV shows, etc. The registration systems 33 can beconfigured to interact with the one or more multichannel contentproviders, such as multichannel content providers 20 and 22 in order toallow those providers to register with the developer to allow the set upof content delivery service through the multichannel content providerswhen the devices are configured to act as set-top boxes for theparticular multichannel content provider.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a method which can be used in the systemshown in FIG. 1 . In operation 201, a content provider such as amultichannel content provider can register with a developer, such as thedeveloper 25 shown in FIG. 1 , to allow the configuration of a genericstreaming media device 29 to be set up as a set-top box to be operatedwith the particular multichannel content provider. For example, themultichannel content provider 20 can communicate through network 24 withthe registration systems 33 to register the content provider 20 in theregistration system. In one embodiment, the content provider can provideone or more device identifiers for one or more corresponding streamingmedia devices, such as devices 27 and 29. In one embodiment, eachstreaming media device can include a device identifier such as a serialnumber or other identifier which can be unique; this device identifierin one embodiment can be stored as immutable data in memory which issecure within the device. For example, the device identifier can bestored in read-only memory or can be stored in flash memory which issecured through a cryptographic system. The use of immutable data insecure memory provides a higher level of trust to the multichannelcontent providers that the device can be trusted. In one embodiment, theregistration process in operations 201, 203, and 205 can involve theuploading of a set of device identifiers to the registration system 33.Prior to uploading each device identifier, the multichannel contentprovider can create (or cause to be created) an associated device tokenfor each device that is being registered. The associated device tokencan be opaque to the developer which is receiving the device token butcan be readable and understandable to the multiple channel contentprovider. For example, in one embodiment, the device token can include arepresentation of the device identifier, such as a hash of the deviceidentifier, a representation of a particular user identifier ifavailable, a representation of an identifier of the multichannel contentprovider, and other data which can be used in an authentication processto be described herein. The data in the device token can be encryptedwith a secret known to the multichannel content provider. Thus, in oneembodiment, the multichannel content provider can generate (or can causeto be generated) for each device identifier of a particular device anassociated device token and cause that device identifier and associateddevice token to be stored in the registration system 33. In addition,the device token can be stored with an associated content provideridentifier which identifies the multiple channel content provider thatcreated (or caused the creation of) the associated device token for theparticular device. In one embodiment, in operation 203, the multichannelcontent provider saves the particular device identifier and itsassociated device token for each device on one or more servers of themultichannel content provider. In operation 205, the registration system33 stores, for each registered device, the device identifier and theassociated device token and the associated content provider identifier.In one embodiment, a profile for the device can include the device tokenand the identifier of the content provider (which may be specified inmetadata for the content provider), and this metadata can also includeother information about the content provider such as an endpointidentifier, etc. In one embodiment, the registration system 33 mayprovide this information stored in operation 205 to the activationsystem 31 or to other systems operating within the domain of thedeveloper 25 or otherwise used by the developer 25.

In operation 207, the device on first user boot up of the deviceestablishes an Internet connection through an Internet service providerin one embodiment and then connects to an authentication server used bythe developer of the device or used by the developer of an operatingsystem of the device. For example, device 27 can establish an Internetconnection to the Internet 24 shown in FIG. 1 and through that Internetconnection can then connect to an activation server in the activationsystem 31. The connection between the device and the activation servercan be used to send the device identifier of the device to theactivation server as shown in operation 209 of FIG. 2 . In operation211, the server used by the developer in the activation system (or inother systems controlled or used by the developer) can determine thatthe device has been enrolled with a content provider, such as amultichannel content provider and can retrieve, based on the deviceidentifier, the profile for the device. In one embodiment, the profilecan include the device token that was generated by the multichannelcontent provider as well as the identifier of the content provider. Inoperation 213, a server used by the developer can send the profile andan endpoint identifier, such as a URL address, of the identified contentprovider to the device to configure the device to act as a set-top boxfor the identified content provider. Then in operation 215, the devicecan perform one or more operations and exchange one or more messageswith one or more servers used by the content provider, such as amultichannel content provider, to authenticate the device to the contentprovider and to set up the device as a set-top box for the contentprovider to allow delivery of content through the content provider tothe device.

FIG. 3 shows a sequence in time of a plurality of operations (beginningwith operation 315 which is followed with operation 333 sometime later)which can occur between a plurality of components operated by at leastthe developer of the device 309, the user of the device 309 and acontent provider 301. The content provider 301 can use one or moresystems (such as server systems) to perform the operations done bycontent provider 301. The developer (such as developer 25) of the deviceor the developer of the operating system of the device, such as device309, can use one or more server systems to provide the registrationsystem 303 and the device provisioning system 305 and the activationserver 307 and the profile service 311. The registration system 303 inFIG. 3 can be part of registration systems 33 shown in FIG. 1 .Similarly, the activation server 307 in FIG. 3 can be part of the deviceactivation systems 31 shown in FIG. 1 . In operation 315, the contentprovider 301 can register with registration system 303 of the developer.In one embodiment, this registration in operation 315 can includegenerating an identifier for the particular content provider (such as aunique vendor identifier) and generating or storing other informationand storing all of that information as part of the registrationinformation for the particular content provider in the registrationsystem 303. In one embodiment, the unique vendor identifier is mapped toinformation such as metadata information about the multichannel contentprovider, and the vendor identification or identifier can be used toretrieve relevant information (e.g., metadata) related to the contentprovider including, for example, authentication endpoints, relatedapplication information, such as application information identifying aparticular application that can be installed on the device and which isdedicated to operate with the content delivery service of themultichannel content provider once the device has been set up as aset-top box for the multichannel content provider. In operation 317, thecontent provider 301 can cause the registration system 303 to establisha logical enrollment server 317 which can be used in the enrollmentprocess of new devices, such as the enrollment process which occurs inoperation 319.

Operation 319 can occur when a new device is enrolled so that it can beconfigured automatically in background operations as a set-top box forthe content provider 301. In one embodiment, operation 319 can involvetransmitting an identifier of the device, such as a serial number of thedevice or other device identifier along with an associated device tokenwhich has been generated by the content provider for that particulardevice identifier. In one embodiment, operation 319 can register a batchof devices in a batch registration process that identifies a pluralityof device identifiers and a plurality of associated device tokens, onedevice token for each corresponding device identifier. Batchregistration can occur as a result of a purchase by the content provider301 of a plurality of streaming media devices from the developer, suchas developer 25 shown in FIG. 1 . Each of the devices purchased can thenbe enrolled by generating a device token for each device and thenproviding a combination of the device identifier and the device tokenfor each device in operation 319. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , theenrollment operation 319 can use a device provisioning service 305 whichprovides an exposed application programming interface (API) that can beused at set up time of the device to provision the device to act as aset-top box for the content provider 301. In one embodiment, this APIcan be used to program the device token into the device at set up timeof the device. In one embodiment, a content provider may create (orcause to be created) the same device token for the same user (or set ofusers such as a family) who uses multiple devices so that in thisexample, multiple devices can have the same device token. Afteroperation 319, the new device is enrolled in operation 321 with theactivation server 307 by, for example, storing the device identifier forthe particular enrolled device, and this device identifier can be usedby the activation server 307 to retrieve the associated device tokenwhen the device first boots up and provides its device identifier to theactivation server 307. In operation 323, a profile of the device (whichcan include the device token for the device and an identifier of thecontent provider) and an endpoint identifier for the content provider301 is stored in a profile service 311 in one embodiment. In oneembodiment, the endpoint identifier can be a URL address which can beused during the set up process to authenticate the device as furtherdescribed below. The profile (stored in operation 323) in one embodimentcan include the unique identifier for the content provider 301 and thedevice token for the particular device that has been enrolled inoperation 321. After operation 323 has been completed, the device canthen be set up automatically in a silent authentication manner to act asa set-top box for the content provider 301. This can begin in operation325 which can be a first user boot up of the device. In one embodiment,the device may have previously been booted up in a factory (e.g., fortesting of the device) but can then be reset to indicate that the nextboot up is the user first boot up of the device. In operation 325, thedevice 309 contacts an activation server 307 and sends the deviceidentifier of the device to the activation server 307. The activationserver 307 uses the device identifier to determine that the device hasbeen enrolled and returns in operation 327 in enrollment indicator tothe device 309 which in turn causes the device in operation 329 toobtain the profile of the device from the profile service 311 and toalso obtain metadata about the content provider 301. In one embodiment,the metadata may be included in the profile. In operation 331, theprofile service 311 returns the profile and metadata to the device 309which can then exchange one or more messages and perform one or moreactions in operation 333 to authenticate the device for content deliverythrough the content provider 301.

In operation 333, the device 309 and the content provider 301 canexchange data which can be used in cryptographic operations to generatecryptographic data, such as authentication certificates or other typesof cryptographic data that can be used to authenticate the device for acontent delivery service through the content provider 301. In oneembodiment, the exchange of messages can include downloading softwarefrom the content provider 301 in order to set up the device 309 to be aset-top box for the content provider 301. The downloaded software can beused in the authentication process and can be separate from anapplication which is used by the user to search, browse, and selectcontent for viewing from the content provider 301 during use of thedevice by the user after the device has been configured to be a set topbox for the content provider.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C provide a detailed example of the set up processperformed by a generic streaming media device in one embodiment in whichthe device is set up as a set-top box through a silent authenticationprocess that does not require user credential inputs such as username,password, etc. Moreover, this silent authentication process can occur inbackground operations while the user is in foreground operationsinputting user credential information to sign up for or use an onlinestreaming media service, such as the iTunes store service or GooglePlay, etc. In one embodiment, there is nothing in the hardware orfirmware factory settings of the device that identifies the device to bea set-top box. During the set up operations, the operating system of thedevice identifies the device to be a set-top box which has profileinformation that can be used to set up the device as a set-top box for aparticular content provider. In operation 401, the device is booted up,and this can be the first time that the device was booted up by theuser; for example, the user has opened the box containing the device andset the device up next to a TV and has connected the device to the TV sothat it can be used with the TV and then has turned the device on. Inoperation 403, the user can then perform standard set up operations suchas choosing a geographic region, choosing a language, choosing a networkconnection type such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi, etc. In operation 405, thedevice can begin activation and can contact an activation server. Theserver can be an activation server such as activation server 307 shownin FIG. 3 or an activation system such as the activation systems 31shown in FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the activation server can be aserver used by the developer of the device or the developer of anoperating system of the device. In operation 407, the activation servercan determine whether the device has been enrolled with a profileserver. If the device has not been enrolled with the profile server thenprocessing proceeds to operation 409 in which conventional device set upoperations are performed. If operation 407 determines that the devicehas been enrolled with the profile server, then in operation 411, theprofile is downloaded to the device and the device determines whetherthe profile is for a content provider, such as a multichannel contentprovider. If the profile is not for a content provider processingproceeds to operation 409 in which the device is set up usingconventional device set up operations. If the profile is for a contentprovider then processing proceeds to operation 413 in which the contentprovider's endpoint (for example a URL address to a server of thecontent provider) is obtained from the registration metadata of thecontent provider. In one embodiment, the profile contains the identifierfor the content provider, and this identifier can be used to obtain theregistration metadata of the content provider. After obtaining thecontent provider's endpoint, the device in operation 413 can attemptsilent authentication in the background to authenticate the device withthe content provider to be a set-top box for the content provider.Processing can then proceed through node 415 to FIG. 4B. The silentauthentication process performed in the background (such as the processshown in FIGS. 4B and 4C) can occur while operation 417 occurs. Inoperation 417, the user can continue the device set up process bysetting up other features of the device including, for example, voicerecognition by speaking to the device, privacy set up by enteringprivacy related choices, and by setting up an account or activating anotherwise existing account with an online streaming media store, such asiTunes. Thus, the user can be providing manual inputs into the device inoperation 417 while the silent authentication process in the backgroundshown in FIGS. 4B and 4C is being performed without requiring anyexplicit user inputs during or as part of the silent authenticationprocess which is performed in the background. In operation 421, thesystem repeatedly checks to determine whether the silent authenticationexecution process has been completed and if it has not it continues toloopback waiting for silent authentication to complete. Once silentauthentication has been determined to have been completed in operation421, processing can proceed to operation 423 in which various userinterface options can be displayed to the user to allow the user to signin or cancel the various options that are presented; moreover, operation423 can also involve the display of user interface options related touser consent to the use of user data and other privacy related optionsand consents. After operation 423 has been completed, the device is thenset up in operation 425 to act as a set-top box for the contentprovider.

As shown in FIG. 4B, processing of the silent authentication process canbegin from node 415 by beginning with operation 431. In operation 431,the device can verify that the profile contains a valid identifier of acontent provider and also contains a device token. If the profilecontains both a valid identifier and a device token, processing canproceed to operation 433. If the profile does not contain both, thenprocessing reverts back to node 419 which returns processing tooperation 421 shown in FIG. 4A. In this instance, the user may berequired to manually set up the device for service with a contentprovider. Referring back to FIG. 4B, in operation 433, the deviceobtains the metadata for the content provider and verifies the metadatais valid. If it is not valid, processing returns through node 419 backto operation 421 which may require manual user input of data in order toset up the device as a set-top box with a content provider. If operation433 determines that the metadata is valid then in operation 435, thedevice makes a new account authentication request with the device tokenas an input to the authentication request. The request can include aflag which indicates that a user interface is not allowed to bepresented to the user during the silent authentication process. Thedevice in operation 437 starts a content provider authentication contextand processing proceeds through node 439 to the method shown in FIG. 4C.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, operation 461 can cause the downloading in oneembodiment of the content provider's authentication software to thedevice, and this software is then loaded into the content providerauthentication context on the device. In operation 463, the contentprovider authentication software which was downloaded in operation 461then sets up an authentication process for the silent authenticationrequest and sends the silent authentication request and device token toone or more servers used by the content provider for authentication. Inoperation 465 the content provider can respond to the device with asuccess or failure indication for the authentication request. Ifsuccessful, the content provider can in one embodiment sendauthentication data which is used in future sign in operations, and thisauthentication data can be stored on the device's keychain in thedevice. Thus, future sign in operations can use this authentication datato automatically in the background without user input sign into thecontent delivery service of the content provider. After operation 465,processing can proceed through node 441 back to the method shown in FIG.4B. Referring back to FIG. 4B, in operation 443, the processing returnsfrom the content provider authentication process and proceeds tooperation 445 in which it is determined whether the content providerauthentication process was successful. If it was not, processingproceeds back to node 419 which returns processing to operation 421shown in FIG. 4A, and the set up process may require manual entry ofuser credentials or other data in order to set up the device as a settop box for the content provider. If it is determined in operation 445of FIG. 4B that the content provider authentication was successful, thenprocessing proceeds to operation 447 in which the content providerauthentication data is stored for use in future sign in operations bythe device and processing then can be completed in operation 449 andreturned back to the method shown in FIG. 4A to complete the set up ofthe device.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a system which includes a device which can bea generic streaming media device that has been set up as a set-top boxfor content provider 20 which is coupled to the device 507 through theInternet 501. The content provider 20 can provide a plurality ofdifferent content channels, such as content channels 10, 12, and 14 aswell as other potential content channels to the device 507 which isconfigured to operate as a set-top box for the content provider 20. Inone embodiment, the content provider's user interface application thatis configured for that particular content provider can be alsodownloaded and stored on the device 507, and that application can beused while in set-top box mode to search, browse, and select content towatch from the content provider 20. That application can be identifiedby an application identifier used in an on-line application store toidentify the application so the application can be downloaded from thestore using the identifier. The device 507, being a generic streamingmedia device in one embodiment can also obtain content from an onlinesource, such as an online streaming media source or store and store thecontent in memory 509 on the device. In the example shown in FIG. 5 ,the online source 505 can be for example the iTunes Store and containcontent for songs, movies, TV shows, etc. This content can be streamedto the device 507 and in some cases the content itself can be stored onthe device 507, such as content 513. In those embodiments in which thecontent is streamed, identifiers for previously purchased streamedcontent can be stored on device 507. In addition, the device 507 in oneembodiment is capable of processing applications which are availablefrom an online source for applications, such as online source 503. Inone embodiment, online source 503 is an application store from whichapplications can be purchased and downloaded to a device, such as device507 and stored as applications 511 in the memory 509 on the device. Forexample, these applications can be video games, productivityapplications, and other applications known in the art. Theseapplications can be executed by the device and can allow the user tointeract with the device 507 as if it was a computer. In one embodiment,the device 507 is coupled to a display such as a TV 515.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a method for using the device 507 which canoperate as a set-top box and which can all also operate to obtainstreaming media from an online source such as online source 505.Moreover, the method shown in FIG. 6 shows that the device 507 is alsocapable of executing applications obtained from an online source forapplications, such as online source 503. In operation 601, the device507 can download one or more applications from an online source forapplications and can cause those applications to be installed on thedevice for use on the device. In operation 603, the device can alsoobtain content, such as songs, movies, etc. from an online source. Inone embodiment, the content can be purchased to be streamed once orstreamed indefinitely. In other embodiments, it may be possible todownload and store the content locally on the device, such as thedownloading and storing of songs. Operation 605 shows that the devicecan be switched into set-top box mode after it has been configured tooperate as a set-top box for one or more content providers such as oneor more multiple channel content providers. In one embodiment, anapplication dedicated for use with a particular content provider can beused to operate that device as a set-top box during the set-top box modeto search, browse, and select content for viewing from the contentprovider.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a data processing system 900 according toan embodiment. Note that while FIG. 7 illustrates the various componentsof a data processing system that may be incorporated into a mobile orhandheld device, it is not intended to represent any particulararchitecture or manner of interconnecting the components as such detailsare not germane to the present invention. It will also be appreciatedthat other types of data processing systems that have fewer componentsthan shown or more components than shown can also be used within thevarious embodiments.

The data processing system 900 includes one or more bus(es) 909 thatserve to interconnect the various components of the system. One or moreprocessor(s) 903 are coupled to the one or more bus(es) 909 as is knownin the art. Memory 905 may be volatile DRAM or non-volatile RAM, such asNOR flash memory or other types of high-speed, non-volatile,execute-in-place memory. This memory can be coupled to the one or morebus(es) 909 using techniques known in the art. The data processingsystem 900 can also include explicitly non-volatile memory 907, such asdata storage devices including one or more hard disk drives, flashmemory devices or other types of memory systems that maintain data afterpower is removed from the system. The non-volatile memory 907 and thememory 905 can each couple to the one or more bus(es) 909 using knowninterfaces and connection techniques. A display controller 922 cancouple to the one or more bus(es) 909 to receive display data, which canbe displayed on a display device 923. In one embodiment the displaydevice 923 includes an integrated touch input to provide a touch screen.

The data processing system 900 can also include one or more input/output(I/O) controllers 915 which provide interfaces for one or more I/Odevices, such as one or more mice, touch screens, touch pads, and otherinput devices including those known in the art and output devices (e.g.speakers). The input/output devices 917 are coupled through one or moreI/O controllers 915 as is known in the art.

While the data processing system 900 illustrates the memory 905 andnon-volatile memory 907 as coupled to the one or more buses directly, inone embodiment the non-volatile memory 907 can be remote from the dataprocessing system 900, such as in a network storage device which iscoupled to the data processing system through a network interface suchas a modem, wireless LAN, or Ethernet interface. The bus(es) 909 can beconnected to each other through various bridges, controllers and/oradapters as is well known in the art. In one embodiment the I/Ocontroller 915 includes one or more of a USB (Universal Serial Bus)adapter for controlling USB peripherals or a Thunderbolt controller forcontrolling Thunderbolt peripherals. In one embodiment, one or morenetwork device(s) 925 can be coupled to the bus(es) 909. The networkdevice(s) 925 can be wired network devices (e.g., Ethernet) or wirelessnetwork devices (e.g., WI-FI, Bluetooth).

It will be apparent from this description that embodiments and aspectsof the present invention may be embodied, at least in part, in software.That is, the techniques and methods may be carried out in a dataprocessing system or set of data processing systems in response to theprocessors executing a sequence of instructions stored in a storagemedium, such as a non-transitory machine readable storage media, such asvolatile DRAM or nonvolatile flash memory. In various embodiments,hardwired circuitry may be used in combination with softwareinstructions to implement the embodiments described herein. Thus thetechniques and methods are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software, or to any particular source for theinstructions executed by the one or more data processing systems.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is thegathering and use of data available from various sources to improve thedelivery to users of TV content or any other content that may be ofinterest to them. The present disclosure contemplates that in someinstances, this gathered data may include personal information data thatuniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specificperson. Such personal information data can include demographic data,location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID's,home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level offitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information,exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying orpersonal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used toimprove the delivery of TV content. Further, other uses for personalinformation data that benefit the user are also contemplated by thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities shouldimplement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining personal information data private andsecure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and shouldbe updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personalinformation from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonableuses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimateuses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving theinformed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities shouldconsider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access tosuch personal information data and ensuring that others with access tothe personal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US,collection of or access to certain health data may be governed byfederal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries maybe subject to other regulations and policies and should be handledaccordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained fordifferent personal data types in each country.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof content delivery services, the present technology can be configuredto allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation inthe collection of personal information data during registration forservices or anytime thereafter. In addition to providing “opt in” and“opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providingnotifications relating to the access or use of personal information. Forinstance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that theirpersonal information data will be accessed and then reminded again justbefore personal information data is accessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth,etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g.,collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level),controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users),and/or other methods.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data. For example, content can bedelivered to users based on non-personal information data or a bareminimum amount of personal information, such as the content beingrequested by the device associated with a user, other non-personalinformation available to the delivery services, or publicly availableinformation.

In the foregoing specification, specific exemplary embodiments have beendescribed. It will be evident that various modifications may be made tothose embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scopeset forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storingexecutable program instructions which when executed by a data processingsystem cause the data processing system to perform a method to set up adevice, the method comprising: establishing, by the device,communication with one or more activation servers to set up the device,the device comprising a generic streaming media device which is capableof setting up an account with an online streaming media source that is adifferent service from a multichannel content provider; providing, bythe device to the one or more activation servers, a device identifierthat identifies the device to the multichannel content provider, thedevice identifier having been associated with the multichannel contentprovider through a prior action by the multi-channel content provider orby a developer of the device or by a developer of an operating system ofthe device; receiving, at the device in response to providing the deviceidentifier, a device profile containing data associated with themultichannel content provider for the device, the device profileincluding a device token for the device that was associated with thedevice through the prior action wherein the device token comprises arepresentation of the device identifier and the device identifiercomprises an immutable identifier, and wherein the device profile isassociated with the device identifier through the prior action, andreceiving an endpoint identifier of the multichannel content provider;establishing, by the device using the endpoint identifier, communicationwith one or more servers used by the multichannel content provider andsending, by the device to the one or more servers used by themultichannel content provider, the device token; exchanging, by thedevice in background operations of the device, one or more messages withthe one or more servers used by the multichannel content provider toauthenticate the device for a content delivery service through themultichannel content provider without requiring a user input to performthe authentication, wherein the content delivery service uses aconditional access system for at least some of the content deliveredthrough the multichannel content provider.
 2. The medium as in claim 1,wherein the device token and an identifier of the multichannel contentprovider and the endpoint identifier are received from the one or moreactivation servers or another server which was requested by the one ormore activation servers to send the device token and the endpointidentifier to the device, and wherein the endpoint identifier identifiesa respective computer network address of the one or more servers used bythe multichannel content provider and wherein the data in the deviceprofile is created by the multichannel content provider or on behalf ofthe multichannel content provider, and wherein establishing thecommunication with the one or more servers comprises using, by thedevice, the respective computer network address of the one or moreservers of the endpoint identifier.
 3. The medium as in claim 2 whereinthe device does not include dedicated hardware logic that is configuredand dedicated to authenticating the device to the multichannel contentprovider.
 4. The medium as in claim 3 wherein the immutable identifieris stored in the device in secure memory within the device.
 5. Themedium as in claim 1 wherein the device establishes communication withthe one or more activation servers in response to a first time user bootup of the device, and wherein the device establishes an Internetconnection, through an Internet service provider, prior to establishingcommunication with the one or more activation servers.
 6. The medium asin claim 5 wherein the Internet connection includes a wireless portionthrough a local wireless network in the vicinity of the device.
 7. Themedium as in claim 5 wherein the device token is opaque to the developerof the device and is associated with the multichannel content providerby being created by or on behalf of the multichannel content provider.8. The medium as in claim 5 wherein the device establishes communicationwith the one or more servers used by the multichannel content providerand exchanges one or more messages with the one or more servers used bythe multichannel content provider in automatic background operationsduring a set up process in which the device is set up manually by a userfor the account with the online streaming media source.
 9. The medium asin claim 8 wherein no user credential inputs are required during thebackground operations to set up the content delivery service through themultichannel content provider, and wherein manual set up by the user ofthe account with the online streaming media source requires the user toenter user credential inputs including a user account name and apassword, and wherein the online streaming media source includes one ormore of: songs, movies, TV shows, applications for execution in thedevice, and content purchased by the user, and wherein the deviceoperates as a set-top box for the multichannel content provider when ina set top box mode when a downloaded application of the multichannelcontent provider causes the device to enter the set top box mode. 10.The medium as in claim 9 wherein the multichannel content providercannot control the device like a dedicated set-top box.
 11. A method forsetting up a device, the method comprising: establishing, by a device,communication with one or more activation servers to set up the device,the device comprising a generic streaming media device which is capableof setting up an account with an online streaming media source that is adifferent service from a multichannel content provider; providing, bythe device to the one or more activation servers, a device identifierthat identifies the device to the multichannel content provider, thedevice identifier having been associated with the multichannel contentprovider through a prior action by the multi-channel content provider orby a developer of the device or by a developer of an operating system ofthe device; receiving, at the device in response to providing the deviceidentifier, a device profile containing data associated with themultichannel content provider for the device, the device profileincluding a device token for the device that was associated with thedevice through the prior action, wherein the device token comprises ofrepresentation of the device identifier and the device identifiercomprises an immutable identifier, and wherein the device profile isassociated with the device identifier through the prior action, andreceiving an endpoint identifier of the multichannel content provider;establishing, by the device using the endpoint identifier, communicationwith one or more servers used by the multichannel content provider andsending, by the device to the one or more servers used by themultichannel content provider, the device token; exchanging, by thedevice in background operations of the device, one or more messages withthe one or more servers used by the multichannel content provider toauthenticate the device for a content delivery service through themultichannel content provider without requiring a user input to performthe authentication, wherein the content delivery service uses aconditional access system for at least some of the content deliveredthrough the multichannel content provider.
 12. The method as in claim11, wherein the device token and an identifier of the multichannelcontent provider and the endpoint identifier are received from the oneor more activation servers or another server which was requested by theone or more activation servers to send the device token and the endpointidentifier to the device, and wherein the endpoint identifier identifiesa respective computer network address of the one of the one or moreservers used by the multi-channel content provider and wherein the datain the device profile is created by or on behalf of the multichannelcontent provider, and wherein establishing the communication with one ormore servers comprises using, by the device, the respective computernetwork address of the one or more servers of the endpoint identifier.13. The method as in claim 12 wherein the device does not includededicated hardware logic that is configured and dedicated toauthenticating the device to the multichannel content provider.
 14. Themethod as in claim 13 wherein the immutable identifier is stored in thedevice in secure memory within the device.
 15. The method as in claim 11wherein the device establishes communication with the one or moreactivation servers in response to a first time user boot up of thedevice, and wherein the device establishes an Internet connection,through an Internet service provider, prior to establishingcommunication with the one or more activation servers.
 16. The method asin claim 15 wherein the Internet connection includes a wireless portionthrough a local wireless network in the vicinity of the device.
 17. Themethod as in claim 15 wherein the device token is opaque to thedeveloper of the device.
 18. The method as in claim 15 wherein thedevice establishes communication with the one or more servers used bythe multichannel content provider and exchanges one or more messageswith the one or more servers used by the multichannel content providerin automatic background operations during a set up process in which thedevice is set up manually by a user for the account with the onlinestreaming media source.
 19. The method as in claim 18 wherein no usercredential inputs are required during the background operations to setup the content delivery service through the multichannel contentprovider, and wherein manual set up by the user of the account with theonline streaming media source requires the user to enter user credentialinputs including a user account name and a password, and wherein theonline streaming media source includes one or more of: songs, movies, TVshows, applications for execution in the device, and content purchasedby the user, and wherein the device operates as a set-top box for themultichannel content provider when in a set top box mode when adownloaded application of the multichannel content provider causes thedevice to enter the set top box mode.
 20. The method as in claim 19wherein the multichannel content provider cannot control the device likea dedicated set-top box.
 21. A non-transitory machine readable mediumstoring executable program instructions which when executed by a dataprocessing system cause the data processing system to perform a methodto set up a device as a set top box, the method comprising: booting upthe device in a set up mode, wherein the device is capable of setting upan account with an online streaming media source that is a differentservice from a multichannel content provider; receiving at the device adevice token previously associated with a device identifier of thedevice, the receiving being performed in a background operation, and thedevice token comprising data that is associated with a multichannelcontent provider to use the device as a set-top box for a contentdelivery service through the multichannel content provider, wherein thedevice token comprises a representation of the device identifier and thedevice identifier comprises an immutable identifier; automaticallyactivating and authenticating, using the device token and withoutrequiring user credentials from a user of the device, the device to actas the set-top box for the multichannel content provider, theautomatically authenticating being performed as background operations inthe set up mode.
 22. The medium as in claim 21 wherein the contentdelivery service uses a conditional access system for at least some ofthe content and wherein the content delivery service uses a downloadedapplication that executes on the device to allow browsing, searching,and selection of content in the content delivery service by using thedevice as a set-top box.
 23. The medium as in claim 21 wherein adownloaded application is downloaded automatically to the device duringthe set up mode as a background operation, the downloaded applicationassociated with the multichannel content provider.
 24. The medium as inclaim 23, wherein the device token is provided to the device after thedevice establishes communication with one or more servers that are usedby a developer of the device or a developer of an operating system ofthe device, and wherein the data in the device token is opaque to thedeveloper, and wherein an application identifier is provided to thedevice during the set up mode and the application identifier identifiesthe downloaded application.